Sustainability

The Linn County Board of Supervisors created the new Sustainability Program Manager position in 2020 to further Linn County’s commitment to environmental sustainability and resource protection and work towards a more environmentally just future.

Core Functions

  • Equitably address issues of climate adaptation
  • Engage the public in climate action

 Current Projects

  • Complete a Greenhouse Gas Inventory to assess current emission levels
  • Use the Greenhouse Gas Inventory to develop a climate action plan to meet targets laid out in the Linn County 2020 climate resolution

Sustainability Council

The Sustainability Council is comprised of County management staff from Linn County Public Health, Conservation, Facilities, Planning & Development, Policy & Administration, and the Secondary Road departments. The Council’s current role is to evaluate how key County departments such as Planning & Development, Public Health, Facilities, and Conservation can more effectively work towards meeting the goals in the climate resolution through innovative initiatives.

Linn County’s previous sustainability work includes:

  • Declaring a climate crisis in 2019 and signing a resolution committing to accelerated action to address the crisis in collaboration with other governments and community organizations
  • Updating the climate resolution in 2020
  • Including high energy efficiency standards in construction projects
  • Encouraging use of alternative and renewable energy through the Linn County Comprehensive Plan
  • Promoting personal health and environmental protection in the Linn County Strategic Plan
  • Receiving a Gold designation from the national SolSmart program for making it faster, easier, and more affordable for homes and businesses to go solar
  • Becoming a designated Small Wind Innovation Zone (SWIZ) by the Iowa Utilities Board
  • Signing a resolution in 2017 in support of the objectives of the Paris Agreement and approving Linn County’s registration in the “We Are Still In” coalition, which marked Linn County’ s commitment to continue honoring the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the principles of energy efficiency, energy conservation, and sustainability